


Bringing Back Old Memories

by afteriwake



Series: Stuff Of Improbable Legends [32]
Category: The Scarlet Pimpernel - All Media Types
Genre: Armand Approves, Armand Backstory, Backstory, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Framing Story, French Revolution, French-Speaking Armand, French-Speaking Marguerite, Gen, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Mementos, Memories, Realization, Roleplay Logs, Sad Armand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-30 01:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6402286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Armand looks around the estate that had belonged to his brother-in-law, he runs across something that was dear and precious to his sister Marguerite and remembers the moment Marguerite realized she was in love with Percy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bringing Back Old Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegirlisme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlisme/gifts), [sideofrawr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideofrawr/gifts).



> So this is a gift to my dear friend **thegirlisme** asked for a fic featuring the Blakeneys in a fanfic ask meme about saying"I love you" that I did on Tumblr with the prompt " _In awe, the first time you realised it_ ," but try as I might I just couldn't do Percy justice. And then as today was a special day for her and I had always enjoyed roleplaying my Armand with her Marguerite, I thought perhaps I could do something with them in the RP-centric series, since Armand had found Percy's estate, and so this is what I came up with. I do hope it's all right, dear.

He roamed the halls of the estate, going into all the rooms. It was…strange, being there, knowing they were no longer there, no longer alive, had never existed here. There had been life and joy in this place, but also pain and sorrow. The story of Marguerite and Percy had been so complicated, and he didn’t realize it until much later. As he went into the ballroom more memories started to come back. He remembered their wedding, the sheer elation on his sister’s face, the look of love on his brother-in-law’s. He chose not to focus on the thoughts of the betrayal, the bad news, and focus on the pleasant memories.

He knew he couldn’t stay here. This was _their_ home; he knew after their reunion in France, after Chauvelin had been vanquished and the truth had come to light, they had had a happy life together in this place in their universe. He wasn’t sure what his own future had held, but that had been fine. As long as the two of them had been happy, that had been all that had mattered. His own happiness, at least to him, had always paled compared to Marguerite’s. And he knew, to Marguerite, it was the opposite; his happiness had always been more important than hers.

That was the way they had been.

He continued to move through the various rooms, looking at the things that had been there that had belonged to them. Finally he ended up in Marguerite’s dressing area. It seemed as though that was where most of her personal things were, the belongings that had meant the most to her. He fingered the various trinkets and baubles that she had decided to bring to England with her from France, and then he saw it.

There was a small book that he had given her, when he had managed to get enough pocket money to give her a proper birthday gift, that she could use to jot down her thoughts. Since this manor was not actually well over three hundred years old, the book was only a few years old, and the pages were still crisp and off-white instead of brittle and yellowed. He opened it and flipped through the pages, seeing his sister’s careful writing and looking at the various things she had slipped in between the pages to keep safe.

He stopped when he saw the red rose, that would have been used as a men’s boutonniere. He grinned as he realized why he recognized it. It was what Percy had given Marguerite the evening she realized she was head over heels in love with him. It was such a clear, vivid memory, washing over him like it was yesterday instead of just a few years ago, or nearly hundreds of years when it would have happened in real life.

_Marguerite swept into the room, wide smile on her face, the rose brought to her nose. He was sitting in a chair, his nose buried in a book of law texts, trying to study them. It wasn’t until she gave a sigh, one that sounded quite content, that he looked up. “Marguerite? Est-ce que tu vas bien?”_

_”Perfectly fine, Armand,” she said, her voice dreamy. She moved around her brother, almost as though she was dancing a dance, never removing the rose from her nose. “Why are you still awake?”_

_”Reading,” he said, lifting the book off the table. He watched her move, watching her look for a vase to put the rose in. It was very short, as though it would have been in the lapel of a jacket. He smiled at that. She must have had yet another encounter with Sir Percy Blakeney. He was a baronet, from what he understood, and had taken an interest in his sister. He should have been worried, but Sir Blakeney seemed to make her happy, and it had made him happy to see Marguerite happy. “Did you see Sir Blakeney?”_

_Marguerite nodded, a dreamy smile on her face. “Yes. He is…tout à fait magnifique.”_

_Armand tried to hide a smile at that. “You are quite enamoured with him, ma chère soeur.”_

_Marguerite stopped moving, staring at her brother, her eyes slowly widening. “Oh, Armand, je pense que je suis amoureuse de lui,” she said._

_Armand tilted his head slightly. “And do you think he loves you as well?”_

_”I…believe so,” she said. “I hope so, at least.”_

_Armand stood up and then moved in front of his sister, putting his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him, studying him, trying to see what his intentions were. “Then I think you should do what makes you happiest, Marguerite,” he said, giving her a warm smile._

_A smile blossomed on Marguerite’s face as she moved forward to embrace her brother, careful not to crush the rose. “So you give your blessing, if anything happens, no matter how quickly it might happen?”_

_”Bien sûr, Marguerite,” he said, nodding as he held her close. When Marguerite pulled away she looked at her brother with love and adoration and hope on her face. “Your happiness is all that matters to me, Marguerite. And if Sir Blakeney makes you happy, then I am happy for you.”_

_”Merci beaucoup, Armand,” she said before moving away completely and heading towards her room. Armand watched, happy that his sister might find peace and happiness at last.”_

After a few moments the memory receded and he fingered the rose one last time, gently closing the book, running his fingers over the cover. He wasn’t sure what he would do with all of the items in the estate just yet, what things he would keep and cherish in his own home, but what he did know was that this book was going to have a place of honour among his belongings. It was a link to his past, a link to his sister and her story, the heartbreak and the happiness, and he would forever treasure it.

**Author's Note:**

>  **TRANSLATION:**  
>   
>  **Êtes-vous bien? -** _Are you well?_  
>  **tout à fait magnifique -** _quite magnificent_  
>  **ma chère soeur -** _my dear sister_  
>  **je pense que je suis amoureuse de lui -** _I think I am in love with him_  
>  **Bien sûr -** _Of course_  
>  **Merci beaucoup -** _Thank you very much_


End file.
